Sully on Sarah Palin’s Lies, Part Four

So many mendacities, so little time… Andrew Sullivan continues his recounting of false Palin statements, just in time to ensure you are perfectly informed about the character of this woman.

The 12th lie, according to the writer, concerns Palin’s double talk about taking a pay cut during her stint as Wasilla’s mayor — the one Talking Points Memo noticed that she didn’t take. Some may argue that, technically, this wasn’t a lie — she tried to institute a mayoral pay cut, but in the end, the City Council decided to approve a $4,000 raise for the mayoral post. Did she explain that from the get-go? Er, no. She could have done so, but for whatever reason, did not.

Whopper number 14 involves Palin’s claim that she was involved with Russian trade missions (she can see that country from her house, y’know). Sullivan writes:

This lie has already been documented by the Dish, but the invaluable Anchorage Daily News adds a new detail. Not only has Palin never gone on or received a trade mission from Russia, she actually spurned such an offer from Russia.

In all fairness, what Sully calls the 15th lie could have been nothing more than an honest slip of the tongue. During Palin’s meet-and-greet with Israel’s Shimon Peres, she told him that the only flag in her office was that of Israel. Photos contradict that statement. Even Sullivan says that she could have meant that Israel’s was the only non-American flag there. (I give her a pass on this one; none of us are perfect.)

No pass on this one: The author points out that in the vice-presidential debate, Palin said she called for Alaska to divest its funds from the Sudan. As Sullivan notes:

Yep: you guessed it:

A search of news clips and transcripts from the time do not turn up an instance in which Palin mentioned the Sudanese crisis or concerns about Alaska’s investments tied to the ruling regime. Moreover, Palin’s administration openly opposed the bill, and stated its opposition in a public hearing on the measure.

Another lie that Palin repeats again and again is number 17: that US troop levels in Iraq are back to where they were before the surge. So not true. And what is it with Palin and John McCain’s tendency to continue telling lies even after they have been proven untrue?

Lie number 18 is one I’ve complained about quite a lot here at AF&O. The Branchflower Report on the Troopergate scandal says quite clearly that while the governor has the legal right to fire at will, Palin abused her power and broke the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act in firing her public safety diretor in part for personal reasons. Yet she continues with the line that she did nothing unlawful or unethical. Hello? She broke the ethics law!

In a report released Friday, the investigator, Stephen E. Branchflower, said evidence, like the governor’s decision to reduce the manpower of her security detail, showed that “such claims of fear were not bona fide and were offered to provide cover for the Palins’ real motivation: to get Trooper Wooten fired for personal family related reasons.”

Mr. Branchflower described what he considered another inconsistency: If Trooper Wooten was inclined to harm any of the Palins, then having him terminated could lead to an act of retaliation. Forcing him out of his job, the report stated, “would not have de-escalated the situation or provided” Ms. Palin or her family with “greater security.”

Head over to Andrew Sullivan’s Daily Dish and read in depth about each of the Palin lies. You need to know the facts through and through to be fair to Gov. Palin — and to yourself.